Introduction
“It makes sense that the company that helps you implement and integrate a cloud system can also help run it and offer advice on the best way to maximize its use,” outlines Will Venters of the London School of Economics while stressing the importance of next-generation managed IT services for healthcare core industries.
In fact, research suggests that a successful partnership with a managed services partner can decrease IT expenses by 25-45% and improve operational effectiveness by 45-65%.
This blog showcases how the healthcare industry, in particular, can immensely benefit from partnering with managed service providers (MSPs) for their IT needs. Amid the industry’s digital shift to a patient-centric model and the transition to electronic records, healthcare institutions need a re-evaluation of traditional approaches to managing infrastructure and what it takes to keep them running optimally.
Favorably, MSPs can come with the expertise to help healthcare providers navigate this landscape and drive innovation.
Role of Managed IT Services for Healthcare in Transforming
Embracing managed IT services for healthcare allows providers to escape from having to negotiate the complex technology journey themselves. This helps them take a proactive and holistic approach to IT infrastructure and service provision. Provided by certified and experienced IT experts, this services-led approach ushers in a paradigm shift towards more active healthcare service delivery and improved cost efficiency.
Healthcare providers are under pressure to adopt a slew of new and established technologies to deliver great care outcomes, outstanding patient experiences, and excellent business results. But having to focus extensively on selecting, implementing, and managing technology can distract them from their main goals. This is where managed IT services providers are stepping in to help. From infrastructure monitoring to system upgrades and cybersecurity cloud cost management, MSPs can help healthcare organizations to:
- Effectively apply technology to real-world clinical needs
- Migrate legacy systems to cloud-based infrastructure
- Comply with requisite governmental regulations
- Maximize information governance and security
- Drive operational efficiencies across the patient care ecosystem
To scale and meet future needs, MSPs provide IT services that allow healthcare providers to foster interoperability, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs. By leveraging their knowledge and experience, healthcare organizations can focus on their core mission of delivering high-quality patient care while leaving the IT complexities to trusted experts.
However, this collaboration entails a strategic approach to technological implementation and integration, information governance, and patient-centric care delivery. How can this be accommodated? Well, MSPs offer the following managed IT services to enhance healthcare delivery:
Infrastructure Monitoring
Research outlines that operational inefficiencies could cost businesses up to 30% of their potential annual revenue. The majority of these inefficiencies are attributed to data silos, infrastructural failures, and irregular performance. However, MSPs can effectively avoid these inefficiencies by providing round-the-clock monitoring and proactive service management for the IT infrastructure. They can:
- Perform regular evaluations of medical applications and facilitate upgrades as necessary
- Ensure 24/7 uptime of critical medical systems
- Carry out user administration by keeping a close eye on patient portals, telehealth apps, etc.
System Upgrades
As IT systems become more complex, it becomes imperative that they be regularly upgraded to stay relevant and effective. MSPs can help healthcare providers enhance performance by providing timely system upgrades through a comprehensive planning and implementation process. Through viable upgrades, they can address the increasing complexity of IT systems and boost efficiency by extending the lifespan of existing systems and improving data security, privacy, and reliability.
Backup & Disaster Recovery
Healthcare institutions house critical and confidential patient data as well as a wealth of clinical and operational information that is essential for smooth operations. Medical institutions also need to ensure that their health information systems that are being leveraged for patient care are protected against any threats that might prove detrimental to care delivery or violate regulatory compliance.
MSPs can equip healthcare organizations with an effective disaster recovery solution that is tailored to their unique needs by:
- Laying out a business continuity and disaster recovery plan to protect data integrity
- Facilitating a 24/7 data backup and recovery option that wouldn’t slow down healthcare delivery
- Offering strict compliance with data retention policies and regulatory requirements
Cybersecurity
Data security and privacy are prioritized with managed IT services. Providers offer robust cybersecurity solutions like encryption, access controls, and threat detection.
Besides, medical clinics partnering with a managed service provider benefit from continuous monitoring, vulnerability assessments, and compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, which serve to safeguard patient data against cyber threats. Healthcare institutions also benefit from awareness of healthcare standards (e.g., ICD-10, XDS/XDS-I, HL7, etc.) and integrated, outcome-based, and patient-centric solutions.
Cloud Cost Management
Healthcare providers can leverage the cost predictability and flexibility of cloud services to adapt to their changing needs. However, a precise cloud cost management strategy is vital to ensure maximum utilization of cloud services while minimizing operational costs.
Cloud cost management can be achieved through better utilization, economies of scale, and optimized cloud implementation. MSPs can help realize this by:
- Developing a cost model to establish long-term utilization and pricing for the cloud infrastructure
- Monitoring utilization across cloud applications and reevaluating cloud costs
- Generating detailed cloud cost analysis reports for informed decision-making
- Facilitating cloud governance and security to ensure compliance and prevent costly violations and breaches
Application Support (L1, L2 and L3)
The expertise of healthcare IT experts can be a valuable asset for healthcare institutions looking to build or augment their IT infrastructure. They can bring in the requisite agility and innovation to test and support software across clinical settings.
From the most rudimentary to the most demanding clinical applications, MSPs can help healthcare providers bring out a robust digital foundation that is vital to patient care through rigorous application support across all three levels of IT support. This translates into offering the first line of assistance for basic product/service-related problems to bringing in technically proficient individuals to deal with sophisticated software issues.
How Can We Help?
Managed IT Services for healthcare have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry in 2023, and Pratiti Technologies is at the forefront of this transformation. With our expertise in managed IT services for healthcare, we can empower healthcare institutions to enhance patient care, streamline workflows, and drive positive outcomes.
We bring a proven execution framework to the mix to support next-gen digital solutions for healthcare organizations. Explore our healthcare-specific managed IT services here.
After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.
